Minnesota’s population projections: Older but hipper?

Those are just two conclusions from population projections recently released by the Minnesota State Demographic Center. The highest population growth rates between 2015 and 2025 are expected generally in counties along the St. Cloud-Twin Cities-Rochester corridor, while counties in the northeastern and southwestern parts of the state are expected to have relatively lower population growth rates (see map, left).

Given their large size, metropolitan counties in this same corridor also will see the largest numerical gains (see map, right). Population in the state’s top five most-populated counties is expected to rise by 175,000 between 2015 and 2025, accounting for over 50 percent of all population gains in the state.

Statewide, another big demographic trend is the projected aging of the population. Between 2015 and 2025, the number of residents 65 years of age and over is expected to rise as a share of total population, while the share of working-age population ages 20 to 64 is expected to fall across all counties in Minnesota. By 2025, over 30 percent of the population in the northeastern counties of the state will be age 65 or over.